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Monday, July 28, 2008

Need book recommendations!

Lately, I've been feeling a little bit of burnout, and it looks like I'm not the only one. The Seven-imps and Jen Robinson both posted recently about feeling burned out by the reviewing, and both posts triggered an outpouring of response from across the kidlitosphere. It seems that many of us are feeling the pressure that comes when something you love becomes something you're obligated to do.

I love getting those ARCs in the mail, but when there's more books coming than I could ever possibly read and review, it starts to feel overwhelming. I've realized that it's been a long time since I've read anything but children's and YA books. Every time I finish a book, I feel like I have to pick up another one of those review copies, because otherwise I'll never get caught up. Don't get me wrong - I'm not giving up reading and reviewing children's books. I love doing this, and I still plan to keep doing it for a long time. But I think I need a break.

I'm going on vacation to the beach next week, and I've decided I want to read a great adult book for a change. The problem is, that I haven't been keeping up with adult fiction. So I'm hoping that someone can recommend an exciting page turner of an adult book that would be great to read at the beach. I'd like something that's either science fiction (but not fantasy this time), suspense, thriller, or dystopian novel. I'd like something with rich character development and some meat to it, but not too slow-paced. Does anything come to mind? Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks!

Edited to add: Bonus points for recommendations that were independently published! I'll take any recommendations, but I'd especially love to find a great, independently published novel.

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About Me

A lifetime reader of speculative fiction, I've been involved in the children's literature community since 2005. I share my passion for YA and Middle-Grade science fiction and fantasy on this blog, and I'm also one of the organizers of the Cybils Awards for children's literature. I have a small press publishing company, Imaginator Press.

For my day job, I'm a freelance web developer. Even there I have strong ties to the children's book community: my biggest client is the Mom's Choice Awards. If you have a website or web application project you need help with, please contact me at sruth@imaginatorpress.com or through my LinkedIn Profile.

Note: review requests should not be sent to the email address above. Please see my Review Policy.) Review requests not abiding by the review policy will be ignored.